NEWS

Jindal incinerators spewing toxic ash again

Residents of Sukhdev
Vihar, Okhla, have on Saturday written to the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) against Delhi’s Jindal’s
Timarpur-Okhla waste management incinerator stating that the plant is yet again
spewing toxic ash.

Earlier the group had
written to the National Human Rights Commission on March 28 appealing for help.

In their letter to the
CPCB and DPCC, area residents noted: “The excessive dust fall was noticed,
reported and inspected by the environmental watchdogs in December 2014 and
later in January and February this year. We understand that the plant proponent
were issued warning letter for the December incident and later a show cause
notice was also issued. We were given to understand that the reply to the show
cause notice was not satisfactory.”

The residents add
that the spewing of the ash by the incinerator is a frequent occurrence which
causes serious public health issues and warrants closure of the plant.

“We are beginning to
lose confidence in the National Green Tribunal. In view of the fatal threat
from the ongoing hazardous ash-fall from the municipal waste incinerator plant based
on the Chinese technology, the NHRC’s imminent intervention will save the
health of present and future generation of Delhi residents. Pregnant women,
infants and older people are suffering from diseases caused by the plant’s
toxic waste,” said an area resident Vimal Monga.

Gopal Krishna of NGO
Toxics Watch Alliance, which has been working to highlight the plight of the
residents here, said: “Residents living around an incinerator and other
pollution sources have as per various studies shown significant increase in
lung cancer related specifically to the incinerator. Doctors have noted that
those living within 7.5 km of incinerators display risk of cancers specifically
of stomach, colorectal, liver and lung cancer.”